Brock Clarke

Last updated

Brock Clarke
Born1968 (age 54–55)
Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, Professor
NationalityAmerican
Education
Notable works An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England (2007)
Children2

Brock Clarke (born 1968) is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. His work is known for its satirical, sometimes surreal exploration of the lives of average Americans and the role of fiction in society.

Contents

In addition to his career as an author, Clarke has had a career in academia, holding faculty positions at Clemson University, the University of Cincinnati, and Bowdoin College. He is currently the A. Leroy Greason Professor of English at Bowdoin College, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2010.

Clarke lives in Portland, Maine. [1]

Biography

Early life

Brock Clarke was born in 1968 in Massachusetts. His father and grandfather were both college English professors. [2] When he was young, he moved to Little Falls, New York, where he grew up, graduating from Little Falls High School. [3] He earned a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College in 1990 [4] and a PhD in English from the University of Rochester in 1998. [5]

Career

Clarke began publishing his work while he was in graduate school, beginning with short stories in literary journals such as Mississippi Review . [6] After earning his PhD, he lectured briefly at Cornell University before joining the faculty of Clemson University. At the same time, he published academic essays in scholarly journals like Twentieth Century Literature. [7]

Clarke's first book, the novel The Ordinary White Boy, was published in 2001. It tells the story of a directionless young white man in Little Falls, New York, who takes it upon himself to locate a Puerto Rican friend who has disappeared. The critical response was muted. Kirkus Reviews praised the novel's "vivid sense of small-town life", but claimed it "fails to make a true claim on the reader's attention". [8] Publishers Weekly called it "a rather dull tale" that suffered from a lack of lively characters. [9] In the same year, Clarke joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati. [10]

In 2002, Clarke published a story collection, What We Won't Do, which features stories mostly set in and around the Adirondacks region of New York. [11] This was followed by a second story collection, Carrying the Torch (2005). Then, in 2007, Clarke published his breakout work, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England . The novel tells the story of Sam Pulsifer, who burned down the home of Emily Dickinson and tries to lift the suspicion that falls on him when other writers' homes begin to be attacked as well. Kirkus Reviews proclaimed the novel "subversively compelling" and "a page-turning pleasure for anyone who loves literature". [12] In The New York Times , Janet Maslin wrote that the book "feels like the bright debut of an ingeniously arch humorist". [13] Reviews in The New Yorker and The Guardian noted the author's wit, [14] [15] and the novel became a bestseller.

Clarke's next book was the novel Exley (2010), the story of a precocious boy who searches for Frederick Exley, whom he believes can revive his father from a coma. In The New York Times, Maslin criticized the novel's "confounding" plot and "sentimental and trite" story. [16] Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle , Heller McAlpin called the novel a "postmodern metafiction" whose "sometimes dizzying" complexity was "not altogether effective". [17] However, the critic Michael Schaub, reviewing the book for NPR, called it "extraordinary" and "the best work of [Clarke's] career", [18] while Kirkus Reviews called it "a seriously playful novel" from "a unique voice in contemporary fiction". [19] In the same year, Clarke joined the faculty of Bowdoin College. [20]

Clarke's fourth novel, The Happiest People in the World, was published in 2014. Described as a "transcontinental screwball comedy", [21] its plot revolves around a Danish cartoonist, on the run from terrorists, who relocates to upstate New York. Reviews were generally positive. Writing in The New York Times, J. Robert Lennon admired the novel's mix of "bewildering" energy and emotional investigation of its characters. [22] Kathleen Rooney, writing in the Chicago Tribune , echoed Lennon's sentiment by praising the book's "zany" story. [23] The Dallas Morning News proclaimed the book "among the funniest and most relevant social satires", [24] while Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said it was "impossible to put down". [25]

Clarke published his third story collection, The Price of the Haircut, in 2018, the same year that he was appointed the A. Leroy Greason Professor of English at Bowdoin College. [26] He followed it with his fifth novel, Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? (2019). Kirkus Reviews described the latter as "the funniest novel ever written about Calvinism", [27] while the critic Kim Ode, writing in the Minneapolis Star Tribune , called it "absurd and absurdly entertaining". [28] In 2022, Clarke published I, Grape, or The Case for Fiction, a collection of essays about the art of writing.

Personal life

Clarke is married and has two children. [2]

Work

Style

Clarke's writing has been described as absurdist dark comedy that is "outside the mainstream of American fiction". [29] His stories are known for their elaborate, improbable plots and witty observations, leading critics to classify his work as social satire that uses surrealism to illuminate characters and their worlds. [30] [31]

Themes

Among the most prominent themes in Clarke's work is "American haplessness", [22] or the condition of the ordinary American. His characters frequently strive to achieve things beyond their capabilities; they are limited by their own shortcomings and those of the world around them. In Exley, for example, the protagonist yearns to reunite his broken family, but is stymied both by his own delusions and an unstable therapist. [32] In The Ordinary White Boy, the protagonist pursues self-improvement within a violent, racist society. [9]

Another prominent theme in Clarke's work is the role of fiction in people's lives. Books and authors regularly feature in his work: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England explores literary culture, including the practice of preserving authors' homes, while Exley hinges on the protagonist's belief that an author can have a transformative effect. In The Happiest People in the World, many of the characters hide their true identity behind a fictional biography. According to the journalist Catherine Keenan, Clarke's "interest is in fiction itself, particularly the stories we tell to insulate ourselves from life's overwhelming truths". [32]

Influences

In interviews, Clarke has identified John Cheever and Muriel Spark, among others, as influences on his work. [33] [34] Critics have also pointed to the influence of Donald Barthelme on his work. [35] [36]

Selected bibliography

Novels

Story collections

Essay collection

Honors

Clarke has received the following honors for his work:

In addition, Clarke's work has been anthologized in New Stories from the South: The Year's Best (2003, 2004) [43] [44] and You Must Be This Tall to Ride: Contemporary Writers Take You Inside the Story. [45]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Exley</span> American novelist

Frederick Earl "Fred" Exley was an American writer. His fictional memoir A Fan's Notes received critical acclaim and awards. He followed it up with two more fictional memoirs.

Joan Abelove is an American writer of young adult novels. She attended Barnard College and has a PhD in cultural anthropology from the City University of New York. She spent two years in the jungles of Peru as part of her doctoral research and used the experience as background for her first novel, Go and Come Back (1998). Go and Come Back, about a young Peruvian girl's encounter with anthropologists, earned numerous awards and citations, including a "Best Books for Young Adults" selection of the American Library Association and "Book Prize Finalist" selection of the Los Angeles Times. Her second book, Saying It Out Loud, is about a Jewish girl coming to terms with her mother's death from brain cancer.

<i>A Fans Notes</i> 1968 novel by Frederick Exley

A Fan's Notes is a 1968 novel by Frederick Exley. Subtitled "A Fictional Memoir" and categorized as fiction, the book is semi-autobiographical. In a brief "Note to the Reader" in the opening pages, Exley writes: "Though the events in this book bear similarity to those of that long malaise, my life...I have drawn freely from the imagination and adhered only loosely to the pattern of my past life. To this extent, and for this reason, I ask to be judged a writer of fantasy."

Mark Winegardner is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include The Godfather Returns, Crooked River Burning, and The Veracruz Blues. He published a collection of short stories, That's True of Everybody, in 2002. His newest novel, The Godfather's Revenge, was published in November 2006 by Putnam. His Godfather novels continue the story of the Corleone family depicted in Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England is a 2007 novel by Brock Clarke.

Lucy Jane Bledsoe is a novelist who has received many awards for her fiction, including two National Science Foundation Artists & Writers Fellowships, a California Arts Council Fellowship, a Yaddo Fellowship, the American Library Association Stonewall Award, the Arts & Letters Fiction Prize, the Saturday Evening Post Fiction Award, the Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction, two Pushcart nominations, and the Devil's Kitchen Fiction Award. She is a six-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and a three-time finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Roorbach</span> American novelist

Bill Roorbach is an American novelist, short story and nature writer, memoirist, journalist, blogger and critic.

<i>2030</i> (novel)

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America is the first novel written by American actor and comedian Albert Brooks.

<i>Someone</i> (McDermott novel) Book by Alice McDermott

Someone: A Novel, is the seventh book of fiction by American author Alice McDermott. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2013, it was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pavone</span> American novelist

Chris Pavone is an American author of international thrillers. His first novel, The Expats, was a New York Times bestseller.

Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nic Stone</span> American writer

Andrea Nicole Livingstone, known as Nic Stone, is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for her debut novel Dear Martin and her middle grade debut, Clean Getaway. Her novels have been translated into six languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kekla Magoon</span> American author (born 1980)

Kekla Magoon is an American author, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated young adult novel The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and X. In 2021, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her body of work. Her works also include middle grade novels, short stories, and historical, socio-political, and economy-related non-fiction.

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitlyn Greenidge</span> American writer

Kaitlyn Greenidge is an American writer. She received a 2017 Whiting Award for Fiction for her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman. Her second book is a historical novel called Libertie (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sedgwick (author)</span> American author

John Sedgwick is an American author. He has written or co-written 15 books and has published numerous magazine articles. His book subjects have included the Philadelphia Zoo, his family history, Alexander Hamilton's duel with Aaron Burr, railroad companies competing to link up with the western United States, wealthy children, and the Cherokee Nation. He has also written novels.

<i>The Hum and the Shiver</i> 2011 novel by Alex Bledsoe

The Hum and the Shiver is an urban fantasy novel by American writer Alex Bledsoe, first published in the United States in September 2011 by Tor Books. It is the first in a series of six books by Bledsoe about the Tufa living in a remote Appalachian valley in East Tennessee. The Tufa are descendants of Irish fairies and were found in the area when the first European settlers arrived.

<i>Wisp of a Thing</i> 2013 novel by Alex Bledsoe

Wisp of a Thing is an urban fantasy novel by American writer Alex Bledsoe, first published in the United States in June 2013 by Tor Books. It is the second in a series of six books by Bledsoe about the Tufa living in a remote Appalachian valley in East Tennessee. The Tufa are descendants of Irish fairies and were found in the area when the first European settlers arrived.

<i>Chapel of Ease</i> (novel) 2016 novel by Alex Bledsoe

Chapel of Ease is an urban fantasy novel by American writer Alex Bledsoe, first published in the United States in September 2016 by Tor Books. It is the fourth in a series of six books by Bledsoe about the Tufa living in a remote Appalachian valley in East Tennessee. The Tufa are descendants of Irish fairies and were found in the area when the first European settlers arrived.

Alex Myers is an American author, educator and transgender rights activist.

References

  1. ↑ "A lesson for novelists: Avoid the airport food, but pay attention to the conversations". newscentermaine.com. August 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Keyes, Bob (December 7, 2014). "Brock Clarke Aims for a Million-Dollar Book". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Clarke to be keynote speaker at library fundraising event". Herkimer Times Telegram. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ LeBlanc, Kim. "Arts, Humanities and Education". www.dickinson.edu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Alumni Profiles". www.sas.rochester.edu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Clarke, Brock (1997). "A Widespread Killing Frost". Mississippi Review. 26 (1/2): 180–187. ISSN   0047-7559. JSTOR   20134746.
  7. ↑ Clarke, Brock (1999). ""A Hostile Decade": The 60s and Self-Criticism in William Kennedy's Early Prose". Twentieth Century Literature. 45 (1): 1–17. doi:10.2307/441661. ISSN   0041-462X. JSTOR   441661.
  8. ↑ "Review: The Ordinary White Boy by Brock Clarke". Kirkus Reviews. July 15, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "THE ORDINARY WHITE BOY by Brock Clarke". www.publishersweekly.com. August 13, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ Tewksbury, Sarah (March 26, 2018). "Witty collection of stories by Portland local". The Free Press. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "WHAT WE WON'T DO by Brock Clarke". www.publishersweekly.com. December 24, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Review: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke". Kirkus Reviews. May 15, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ Maslin, Janet (September 10, 2007). "Burn Down a Poet's House, and the Mail Just Pours In". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ Staff (November 5, 2007). "An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ Sansom, Ian (May 15, 2009). "An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ Maslin, Janet (September 29, 2010). "A 9-Year-Old Fan of 'A Fan's Notes,' Finding Truth in His Own Fiction". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  17. ↑ McAlpin, Heller (November 17, 2010). "'Exley' by Brock Clarke review: Looking for Dad". SFGATE. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ Schaub, Michael (October 28, 2010). "Exley: A Mental Maze Worthy of Its Namesake". NPR. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Review: Exley by Brock Clarke". Kirkus Reviews. July 15, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  20. ↑ Gargano, Jason. "Literary: Brock Clarke". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  21. ↑ Stuart, Jan (November 6, 2014). "'The Happiest People in the World' by Brock Clarke". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  22. 1 2 Lennon, J. Robert (January 2, 2015). "'The Happiest People in the World,' by Brock Clarke". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Review: 'The Happiest People in the World' by Brock Clarke – Chicago Tribune". www.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Fiction review: 'The Happiest People in the World' by Brock Clarke". Dallas News. January 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  25. ↑ "The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke". www.publishersweekly.com. September 8, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Five Professors Appointed to Named Chairs". Bowdoin College News. June 5, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Review: Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? by Brock Clarke". Kirkus Reviews. June 15, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  28. ↑ Ode, Kim. "Review: 'Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe?' by Brock Clarke". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  29. ↑ Paterniti, Michael (October 23, 2014). "GQ+A: Novelist Brock Clarke". GQ. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  30. ↑ "'The Price of the Haircut': Absurd and Astonishing Stories | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  31. ↑ "The Price of the Haircut by Brock Clarke". www.publishersweekly.com. January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  32. 1 2 Keenan, Catherine (December 4, 2010). "A seat at the surreal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  33. ↑ Warren, Suzanne. "An Interview with Brock Clarke". www.memorious.org. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  34. ↑ Richgels, Rebekah (2009). "Interview: Brock Clarke". Superstition Review. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Dark Desperation and Humor in 'The Price of the Haircut'". PopMatters. March 28, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  36. ↑ Feeney, Tim (2002). "Brock Clarke. What We Won't Do". The Review of Contemporary Fiction. 22 (3): 154 – via The Free Library.
  37. ↑ "NER News and Notes". cat.middlebury.edu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Carrying the Torch by Brock Clarke". prairieschooner.unl.edu. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Brock Clarke". www.arts.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  40. ↑ "The Pushcart Prize XXXIV: Best of the Small Presses". www.publishersweekly.com. September 28, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  41. ↑ "The Best Fiction of 2010". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  42. ↑ "2022 Medalists- General Categories 1-58". ippyawards.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  43. ↑ "New Stories from the South: The Year's Best". Kirkus Reviews. May 1, 2003. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  44. ↑ "New Stories from the South: The Year's Best". Kirkus Reviews. April 15, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  45. ↑ "You Must Be This Tall to Ride". Writers Digest. March 26, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2023.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.